An Eternal Perspective
Today's Scripture
"Every one of those people died. But they still had faith, even though they had not received what they had been promised. They were glad just to see these things from far away, and they agreed that they were only strangers and foreigners on this earth." Hebrews 11:13 CEV
Thoughts for Today
Today's scripture is talking about heroes of faith—and, of course, one of those great heroes is Abraham. All these heroes placed their hope, their faith, in the promised Messiah and in eternity in heaven with God. They knew that earth was not their permanent home, that they were only passing through. That someday all the struggles in this world would be left behind, and they would go home to be with the Lord.
Abraham was able to leave his home and many of his loved ones to live out his life in a strange land because he had a hope for the future. God had made him a wonderful promise—that his descendants would become a great nation and possess the land. But his hope was built on something even greater than the land of Canaan. According to Hebrews 11:10, he was "looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."
Abraham and other heroes of faith had an eternal perspective on things. They were able to endure much here on earth because they knew this was just a short visit, an opportunity to do what God had called them to do. They trusted God that a perfect future lay ahead for all eternity.
Consider this …
It is easy for us to get bogged down in day-to-day struggles. To sometimes feel overwhelmed with a sense of hopelessness. We need to ask God to help us develop an eternal perspective. As we do this, our priorities and outlook will change. We will be reminded that our stay here on earth is temporary and that if we have received Jesus, we will spend eternity in heaven with him. And we will be even more determined to make our time here on earth count, to accomplish the purpose of our journey.
Prayer
Father, help me develop an eternal perspective. Help me to place my hope in Jesus and in your promises of eternity. And help me to use my time on earth effectively, to accomplish the purpose of my journey. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Godly Heroes: A Small Group Study of Hebrews 11 by Jimmy Ray Lee, D.Min. This guide presents a step-by-step study of Hebrews 11. It also features the profile of the characteristics of Godly heroes, written in language that relates to today's living. In this guide you will find definitions, characteristics and examples of the heroes' faith life. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
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